A Moment's Thought
by history101
Summary: A short series of one-shots set in the series two episodes; 'Starcrossed'. What was going through the heroes minds after they're branded fugitives by the Thanagarians? What are they thinking when they have to hide out in the mysterious Bat-cave?
1. Wonder Woman

Chapter 1: Wonder Woman (a.k.a Diana of Themsyscira)

* * *

It had only been a kiss for undercover purposes, it had only been to mislead the Thanagarians so that we wouldn't be caught...so why did I have such a difficult time trying to block it from my mind? There were more important things to worry about at the moment than sharing a kiss with a handsome male.

Bruce and I all but flew through the back streets of Gotham City, he clearly knew this city well...very, very well. He was fast and had I not known I would've said that he had super speed to be able to move as he did. All the while I heard screaming and shouting as we passed through darkened alley after alley, stepping over trash and in some cases, rotting animals and drunken people.

I had a strong feeling that now we were in Gotham itself he wanted to stop me from using my abilities to help another, and thus draw attention to us. He took his identiy seriously and I respected that, but I still believed that there we're people that we could be helping rather than hiding like cowards.

Why Bruce fought so hard for this place was a mystery to me. It was already lost to chaos, it was shrouded in darkness and despair. And yet it had given birth to a hero who was good and selfless and courageous. It was nothing short of a miracle granted by the gods themselves. While the differences between Batman and other heroes was clear he was still a hero, what made him even more extraordinary was the fact that he was human with no powers whatsoever. He acted more courageously than people with powers because had didn't have them to fall back on.

It took courage indeed to stand face to face with people like Superman, and me as equals when one had no powers. But Bruce was the most intelligent of us, from my time here already I had learned that much and I was ready to admit it. He had an analytical and strategic mind combined with a fighting skill that rivalled Achilles or Odysseus. The gods of my pantheon would be proud to call such a man as Bruce a Greek champion.

I had always believed that women were wronged by men, that every man was cowardly and weak, but that was not so. If fact I'd learned that they could be brave...and that sometimes my sisters...the women of the world could be cowardly and weak, and traitorous. Like Shayera. Her betrayal ran deep and I doubted that...even if we won his fight...that I could ever trust her again. She could never fight by our side again because to fight together required trust and she had lost that trust.

She was The Betrayer and we were The Betrayed.

I sighed into the darkness and Bruce turned to me, maybe mistaking my sigh fror annoyance of some kind. "We're almost there," he said to me quietly and I nodded.

Within minutes the dark alleyways were gone, along with the blaring noises of the city and the bright lights of the buildings, replaced by quiet woodland and even small streams. It was a sharp contrast.

We ran silently through the groves until I could see towers and spires high above us, they were reaching into the clouds, to the gods themselves. In my research into the history of Man's world I had seen images of old buildings such as this; examples of grandeur and splendour unparalleled, designed to intimidate and display the owners immense wealth. It was as imposing and as proud as a Greek temple itself and yet it had a homely sort of atmosphere and I saw Batman...Bruce become less tense as we approached.

But instead of going through the front door as I had expected he lead me around the house, away from the front entrance and down a narrow path lined with rocks. We passed underneath a waterfall and Bruce spent a second typing on a code on a small lock hidden on the wall of the rock face. Soon I found myself in an even larger cave, a cavern of darkness with hundreds if not thousands of bats lurking above our heads, of course it had to be bats. This place was something that perhaps would have suited Hades very well.

But when I walked deeper into the cave and saw the elaborate set up of computers, science equipment, and arsenal of weapons hidden i took a Moët to look again. It was so very...Bruce. It was isolated and dark, it was bleak and empty and yet I felt that it was a haven of sorts. A safe harbour in the unrelenting world above where everything had a purpose, everything was meant and designed to help him with his mission. Bruce was everything that I had been taught it be as a child - he was a warrior, something very rare in Man's world.

Bruce walked over to a chair placed in front of the large computers and began typing on its keyboard and I was left standing behind him.

I never through it would've come to something like this; hiding like the criminals we sought to defeat, hiding like the cowards that I despised. We had been betrayed by Hawkgirl...Shayera had betrayed us, my sister in arms, our trusted comrade in the fight for justice had betrayed us all. I had always liked her, she was brash and upfront, she was strong and at times she was so very Amazon-like. But betrayal was a sin to the Amazons, indeed it was a sin in Man's world too.

I had never felt more humiliated than when she and her 'friend' had paraded infront of us as we - her friends - had been chained like animals, chained by our weaknesses that she had exploited! And now she was the enemy, it was a harsh reality, and I didn't like it one bit, but that was how things were now. The more I thought about it the angrier it made me.

"She made her choice, Princess, now we have to make ours," Bruce said to me and I wondered how he knew what I'd been thinking. But then...he was the Batman.

"I know that, but I can't understand how she could betray us like this," I sighed.

"She's helping her people, wouldn't you do the same if it was your Amazon sisters?" he asked me, still staring at his computers.

"My Amazon sisters wouldn't invade Man's world like this," I countered. I often valued the verbal, in some cases physical spars I had with Batman but it wasn't the time for the now. He turned to look at me and surprisingly I couldn't see any anger in his face, and I had seen anger in his face many times before. Anger didn't suit his handsome features...but now was not the time for such thoughts.

"I do wish just for once you could use the front door just to give an old man a surprise, master Bruce," a male voice said and I turned round quickly to see an ageing man in a suit standing atop a metal staircase.

"Alfred, we'll be expecting company, show them down here when they get here," Bruce said to the man apparently called Alfred.

"Yes, sir, company that uses the front door, I hope," the man said and I couldn't help but smile when he looked across at me. "Master Bruce, one of the many skills I don't yet possess is telepathy, and I did at least attempt to raise you as a gentleman. Who is this beautiful young lady?" he asked.

"Alfred, Diana, Diana, Alfred," Bruce said quickly and I smiled again. I'd never seen batman have a...dynamic...with anyone like this before.

"I'm wonder Woman," I added since Bruce had omitted that fact out and turned back to his computers.

"Alfred Pennyworth, at your service my lady," he said to me and I nodded back. But before I could say anything more we heard a ringing sound if a bell throughout the cave and it echoed off the walls.

"I believe those will be your guests, sir," Alfred stated and left the cave.

"You can hear the doorbell from down here?" I asked.

"Automated system, if someone approaches the doors I hear the bell, if someone poses a security threat to the house it's an alarm," Bruce said.

"Impressive," I said quietly and watched as the screens showed Superman and J'onn standing at the doors then being shown into the house by Alfred. After a minute of silence they were walking into the cave via the stairs that Alfee had used and both Superman and J'onn were craning their necks to view the cave.

"Nice setup," Superman said with a wry smile as he walked towards us, "Nice company," he said looking up at the bats.

"They're great survivors," Bruce told him as they joined us by the computers. We fell into a nervous silence once again until Superman spoke again.

"John and Wally not here yet?"

"Clearly," was Bruce's answer and I rolled my eyes at the familiar form of interaction. We continued to wait nervously for Flash and John, I prayed to Hera that they would arrive safely. So when Alfred came in again announcing that the 'guests had arrived' I breathed a sigh of relief as they walked to us.


	2. Superman

Chapter 2: Superman (a.k.a Clark Kent)

* * *

As J'onn and I walked quickly through the streets of Gotham I couldn't help but frown. I'd never been a fugitive before. The whole thing made me wonder if I would have done something similar if I'd been raised on Krypton and given a similar task. Would I've done what Shayera did? Would I have been capable of such a betrayal? I'd like to say 'no' but how could I? I hadn't been raised o Krypton so I'd didn't know for sure. But Earth was my home and it always would be. Would I do a similar thing for Earth then? I will didn't know.

It just wasn't right that this had to happen. Hadn't we been through enough together without all of this? Now to lose a team mate...not through death...but through betrayal. She would never fight with us again, it seemed that everything we'd fought for, every time Shayera stood by us as friends, had all been a lie.

I wasn't usually one for pessimistic thoughts but now I couldn't stop myself. I shook my head and gave J'onn a small smile as he looked across at me with a concerned expression.

We soon made it out of the city and followed the signs for Wayne Manor. Huh...Wayne Manor, it sounded so...so...imposing...lordly and grand...kind of like how Batman preferred to act. We walked down the long driveway towards the manor I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the place, even the driveway had style! I could see the looming spires of the manor itself above the trees, like a castle it dominated the entire landscape. It was anachronistic. Its uniform lines and ordered landscape simply didn't fit with the modern and chaotic city lying just across its borders.

Under different circumstances I would have loved to explore the whole place, especially in day light, but once the circumstances for my being here re-appeared in my mind I stopped taking in the surroundings and simply walked on.

I was struck once again by the huge differences between myself and Bruce - both Superman and Batman, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent had very little, if anything in common.

I was a Kryptonian farm boy from Smallville working as a reporter, while Bruce was a descendent of an earth blue blooded family with a history of philanthropy and limitless wealth. I was optimistic and I believed in second chances, Bruce was a pessimist and believed in vengeance...I wondered what he was thinking about Hawkgirl's betrayal. Would he want vengeance or would he treat her still as a team mate who had made a poor choice?

I was more inclined to sympathise since it was in my nature, but I doubted that Bruce would see it that way. And since the stakes were so high - since her betrayal put the whole world, not just us in danger, I wasn't sure I could be so sympathetic either.

"I feel it too, but we can't allow personal judgement to affect us, we have a job to do," J'onn said to me and I nodded, saying nothing. I didn't need to; he was a telepath.

I rang the doorbell and the door opened silently within seconds, I found myself staring into the face of a man with white hair and a moustache of the same colour. He was dressed in a formal suit and reminded me strongly of an old photo I'd seen in school of Victorian servants. I didn't even know people still hired 'servants' let alone made them dress as such.

"Err...hi...we're looking for Bat...I mean...Bruce..." I said to the man who nodded and stood to let us in.

"Yes, master Bruce did say you would be arriving soon, please follow me," the man said formally in a strong English accent and I raised an eyebrow. I'd never been spoken to so formally in all my life. We followed him through the hall which was decorated with things I'd only seen in museums.

I passed rich tapestries and rugs, old, picturesque paintings of what I assumed were past members of the Wayne family. The soft lighting made the whole place seem almost womb-like and safe despite the fact that I saw suits of armour polished to perfection, and old weapons hanging on the walls.

"You're from the Justice Squad, I believe..." the man said and I chuckled.

"League, it's more of a League," I said with a smile.

"Of course, sir," he nodded again and continued, "Master Bruce instructed that I show you into the cave."

"Cave?" I repeated.

"Yes, sir," he nodded and I swallowed nervously.

We approached an old grandfather clock and for some reason he stopped when we stood near it. He then pulled down the pendulum on the grandfather clock and it slid aside revealing a narrow staircase barely illuminated at all.

"Right...thanks...err..." I broke off realising I hadn't even asked the man's name yet.

"Alfred Pennyworth, Mr Kent, or would you prefer Superman?" Alfred asked with a grin I'd seen on Batman's face before. I turned to J'onn to see him also smiling making me feel like I was missing something but I brushed it off as I turned to the stair case and took the fist step.

The first thing that hit me was the smell, it was dank and stagnant, as well as dark and eerie. As we walked on further there was something that cast a blue light on the craggy rock of the cave making it even more...creepy looking.

"Nice place...nice company," I said looking up at the bats screeching and flapping above my head.

"They're great survivors," Bruce said to me calmly, I just nodded slowly.

"John and Wally not here yet?" I asked quickly, wanting to break the silence.

"Clearly," Bruce answered with his typical annoyance. I know it had been an obvious question but unlike Bruce I didn't like to sit in silence...but that's just what we did. I caught J'onn and Diana taking in the surroundings as I did with similar looks of awe and curiosity. Was it any wonder that Batman so often stated that he didn't need the League when he had a set up like this under his house? I wouldn't be surprised if this place had more advanced technology than the Watchtower and the Pentagon combined.

Perhaps if the circumstances had been different there would have been more conversation. But Bruce had only opened his home to us because there was nowhere else we could go, at least that showed me that he did actually care about us enough to bring us here...Too bad it took the betrayal of a good friend to get us here though...


	3. Martian Manhunter

Chapter 3: Martian Manhunter: (a.k.a J'onn J'onzz)

* * *

Suffice to say, during all my years I'd not expected anything like this to happen. I trusted all the members of the League with my life...but it seemed as though today, that was a very poor decision. It had left me a fugitive on a planet not my birth place because a trusted friend had betrayed me...us...all of us...the whole planet.

As angry as that made me though I couldn't help but spare a thought of sympathy for her. Shayera had been living here for five years as the only one of her species, it was only natural that she help her people...her people over the humans...it was only natural, wasn't it? I still missed my home...my people...and at times I despaired that I'd forever be alone here, left alone on a planet filled with creatures I couldn't understand. But humans weren't all bad...often they were good, caring beings and I could almost see myself spending my remaining years here. Fighting for justice.

But Hawkgirl...Shayera...obviously couldn't see things that way. She was prepared to help destroy the planet...to forsake the humans she'd been fighting to protect...in favour of her own people...and she had done a thorough job of that so far, I had to admit.

...However I rationalised it...however I phrased it...the betrayal still stung, and I suspected it always would...for all of us.

The enforced martial law made things difficult for us to navigate through the streets, of which we were unfamiliar with. Gotham was an alien city to me, it was dark and had a lawless attitude, the buildings were almost like claws that suffocated the people below. And yet the people here had courage, I'd seen some of them refuse orders by the Thanagarians...of course it was a mixture of both bravery and stupidity since they had no way to fight back, but it was bravery none the less.

"We got our own flyin' freak! We don't need no more! Go back to where you came from!" a young man had shouted from the street.

"Yeah! If Batman was here he'd kick your sorry asses back to where ever the hell you bird freaks came from!" another person screamed and there was a clamour of agreement from the crowd.

It amazed the me, the faith they had in Batman...for a man who professed to be a creature of the night, a monster of revenge he had the support of the people of Gotham, perhaps he just forgot it sometimes.

I sensed that Superman was paying little attention to the crowd, which was slightly unusual...he was too torn by Shayera's betrayal. I didn't blame him, but he needed to stay focused. His chaotic thoughts were even more sensitive to me now because mine were the same and it would affect my own ability to focus if I couldn't block them out of my mind.

"I feel it too, but we can't allow personal judgement to affect us, we have a job to do," I told him, but I had little effect. We arrived at the doors to the manor within minutes and soon one opened to a pale, well dressed man with white hair.

"Err...hi...we're looking for Bat...I mean...Bruce..." Superman said nervously, clearly intimidated by the grandeur of the manor. Bruce would certainly find it amusing that something was able to intimidate Superman like this.

"Yes, master Bruce did say you would be arriving soon, please follow me," Alfred Pennyworth said. Scanning the man's mind told me all I needed to know; this was the man who'd raised Bruce from a child, if anyone was to be trusted, it was this man. He was butler to Bruce Wayne and unofficial father figure...I could see all the past memories the man had with Bruce...and his alter-ego...in a different situation a discussion with this man of intelligence and patience would be very interesting indeed. "Master Bruce has instructed that I show you into the cave."

"Cave?" I heard Superman repeat in confusion.

"Yes, sir," Alfred answered him and pulled down the pendulum on the clock. I was unsurprised to see the antique slide aside since I'd seen the image of it dozens of times over in the man's mind so I walked calmly into the cave I knew was waiting for us. It was a beautiful, natural cave, manipulated to house all the technology that the Batman used...it was an impressive sight...viewing a memory merely paled in comparison.

I listened as the sound of contented bats flew and hung above on the stalactites above us... it was more than a suitable home for the Batman. As Superman couldn't help but remark at the irony Bruce subsequently claimed that the bats were 'great survivors'. Perhaps that was why he chose to use them as a symbol.

After a tense and uneasy silence we slowly and briefly discussed reasons as to the real motives of the Thanagarians, but we had nothing concrete. We soon heard the arrival of Flash and John announced by the butler, Alfred. Both of them quickly joined us and Bruce frowned.

"You're late," he told them from his chair.

"Nice to see you too," Green Lantern said by way of a greeting. I heard a similar tone of sarcasm in John's voice as I had in Superman's when he'd spoke.

Of course Flash being who he was couldn't help but notice and remark on the 'giant dinosaur' in the corner of the cave. I smiled a little, even in such circumstances Flash could still retain such an optimistic mindset. But some humans, I'd found, were nothing short of extraordinary...perhaps even more so than those of us not quite human.


	4. Flash

Chapter 4: Flash (a.k.a Wally West)

* * *

Who'd have thought it? Hawkgirl...a traitor...to us...it didn't make any sense. I'd known her for a while now, and she'd always had a strong sense of justice...but where was the justice in this? How could she just abandon us like that? How could she sell us out like that...how could she tell those bird-brains about how to keep us locked up? Not cool! What happened to the heroes code?!

...Or didn't that matter to her anymore?

I guess not...

I couldn't believe that one of our own, someone with super powers would go rogue on us like that. She's my friend...was my friend...and boy was she a dish! I mean, what a chick! Any bird that could go round kicking ass with a mace looking as good as she did was okay in my book! I know, she and John had a thing...but it was fun just to annoy him sometimes...I'd hate to think about how he felt now. He'd really loved her, damn it...and just look how she'd repaid him. She was twice the betrayer.

"I think we're lost," I said, but John didn't say anything, "Maybe I should...ask someone...John...what'd you think? John..."

"Hmm...what...yeah...whatever..." he muttered and I sighed. Poor guy.

After I'd asked directions it was easy enough to find the place, it was just that we'd been walking round in the alleyways and they were like a maze. Kind of amazing...ha...get it? Yeah, I know...bad time for jokes.

Gotham was as different from my city as it was possible to get, in just two words I'd say it was dark and creepy. The air felt like it was as thick as cold custard as we walked on, I really wanted to say something...'cos I hated being quiet for so long...but I really didn't think John would appreciate a wise crack right about now. The chick he cared about turned out to be the worst betrayer in the history of betrayers and sheer put the whole world in danger. I'd be pretty pissed off if I was him...But I guess he was still down about it...I would be too...I guess.

A part of me wanted to hope that...somehow...everything would turn out alright...but the other part said that for once I understood the 'Batman vengeance' thing. I wanted payback. She'd broke a friend's heart and endangered the planet...what a thorough job she'd done!

It didn't take us long to reach the house through all the trees and I stopped myself from just standing there staring like you see on cartoon when the character just gapes like a fish. The old house looked like it belonged in a museum or something...how was it still standing? It was freaking huge! It was like a goddamn palace...seriously! I didn't think people still lived in places like this in the real world anymore.

From what I'd heard about the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne of Gotham City he was...well...rich...and he played round with women a lot. Which I probably would too if I had his money...I'd never have guessed the dude was really the Batman. Not in a million years...I guess that was kind of the point though, wasn't it?

John rang the bell and the hige door opened with an old man on the other side...dude was wearing a suit...like a proper 'gentleman' suit. Who was this guy...was he like...a servant...or a...butler...or something? How cool was that?!

"Err...we're looking for Bruce Wayne...we're friends," I said to him, he didn't even bat an eyelid.

"Of course, master Bruce is expecting you," the dude said and stood aside to let us in. Huh...'master Bruce', huh? "This way, please," he said and we followed him though the hall.

Can you say 'overkill'!? I'd heard of overcompensating but this place was ridiculous! It was way, way, way, way, way too big for just one guy no matter how big his ego was. He had huge paintings and really old furniture...everything here was soooo old...maybe he needed to chuck it all out and redesign the place. A good designer could do wonders with a place like this.

"So, Jeeves, d'you come with the place, or does 'master Bruce' rent you just for parties?" I asked as we walked through the house.

"I've been in service here since the master was in diapers," he said, stopping at a grandfather clock.

"Now that's a picture!" I smiled at John, I'd pay good money to have seen the Batman as a kid! I watched in shock as the clock moved itself and showed a doorway that lead down into...something...

John and I followed Jeeves and we soon found out that it was a cave, an honest-to-god, kid-you-not, cave. Not just any cave either, it was chock-a-block full of...stuff...computers, work surfaces, cars, motorbikes, everything!

"You're late," big bad bats said - his version of 'hi, I notice you happen to be a little late, but no biggie, welcome to my cave'.

"Nice to see you too," John muttered and I smiled as I walked around a little.

I looked from display cases that held weapons and different bat-suits to a giant penny and a dinosaur that for some reason were on display at the other end of the cave, "Hey, that's a giant dinosaur," I said.

"And I thought Batman was the detective," Jeeves said behind me and I walked along looking at all the different things lined up.

"We were just speculating why the Thanagarians are really here," J'onn said.

"Obviously not to protect us," the big guy added, and I stopped myself adding a big fat 'duh'.

"But if the Gordanians aren't any where near Earth, why build that force field?" Wonder Woman asked and I was suddenly really confused...why would they...Good question wondy.


	5. Green Lantern

Chapter 5: Green Lantern (a.k.a John Stewart)

* * *

How had it come to this...everything had stared so normally...just another mission...we were going to have Chinese at my place...then They just had to show up and ruin everything! Why did she have to betray us like that? How could she betray me? Me?! I thought we had something! But I guess she never felt the same. It had all been a lie! Everything! Every word...every look...every kiss...it was all a lie!

She used us all...she was just here to help her mission! I meant nothing to her! I should just forget about her and move on! The world was at stake, I couldn't afford to be overly sentimental. People got their hearts broken all the time...of course peoples girlfriends didn't tend to be from other planets...but still...not all guys had magic green rings either.

I'd really thought we were going places...I'd thought we were doing well...and then somehow it turned out she had a fiancé hidden away at the other end of the galaxy and was now a danger to the whole planet. She should've told he she was 'promised' to someone! She never should've used our weaknesses to keep us hostage! We trusted her...and look where that got us.

It was like...well...I'd always thought that people like the Bat were too suspicious...not trusting enough...but the time I let a woman into my heart she rips it out of my chest and pounds it into the floor with her mace for good measure! Maybe the Bat was just acting one step ahead of people like me to prevent this feeling from happening...smart move. Wish I'd thought of it sooner.

"I think we're lost, maybe I should...ask someone...John...what'd you think? John..." I heard Wally say but it sounded as though I was listening to him from a long, long way away.

"Hmm...what...yeah...whatever..." I muttered, shaking my head. What did it matter if we were lost in Gotham?

I paid no attention as Wally got the directions, I paid no attention as we made our way through the streets and though the small path of woodland, but I stopped slightly as I saw the manor itself. The place was really, really, really, really...big.

I was still in a daze as the door to the building opened and we followed a man into the foyer. All I noticed was that the guy was wearing a suit...I was still out of it. I was still angry. I was sad. I was lonely. I wanted to crawl in a corner and die. I wanted to punch something so hard it burst my knuckles and I felt the blood drip down my fists. I felt so may things just from a broken heart it was unreal. I mean, I'd had a broken heart before...but never like this...Shayera was my one...at least I thought she was.

I'd had to watch her kiss Him! And I'd just played along like the idiot I was! I'd let her get away with lying to me for five years! It just wasn't right. No decent person who really cared would do something like that. It made me so angry, I don't think I'd ever been this a angry before. I'd want to smash their faces in as we were trying to board the train...of course Superman, always the boy scout, stopped me...but it would have been satisfying just to kick their asses! I wasn't much of a threat to them without my ring though...so what could I really have done? I was still angry, my blood boiled and I wanted to fight seomthing...if I wasn't careful I might end up punching someone in the face just to blow of steam...I couldn't lose any more friends today though.

I think Wally was asking the man some kind of sarcastic attempt at humor kind of a question but I really wasn't listening.

"Now that's a picture," Wally said to me suddenly, but I had no idea what he was talking about. I watched as a huge grandfather clock swung aside and we walked down a passageway lined with metal that revealed a huge cave that must have been filled with every technological device known to man.

"You're late," bats said, he was lording in his chair while the others stood around him, like he was a general or something.

"Nice to see you too," I managed to say back and joined them by the huge computer screens. Being here with all the weapons lined up in organised sections reminded me of training. It made me remember that we had a job to do, we had a mission: get rid of the Thanagarians...all of them, and save the Earth...and deal with heartbreak later. It was easier to save the Earth than it was to deal with heartbreak.

"We were just speculating why the Thanagarians are really here," J'onn said.

"Obviously not to protect us," Superman...Clark said.

"But if the Gordanians aren't any where near Earth, why build that force field?" Wonder Woman asked calmly.

"If it is a force field," Bruce said.

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"I can tell you," a painfully familiar voice answered, and for what felt like the millionth time since this all began, my world was thrown into chaos.


	6. Batman

Chapter 6: Batman (a.k.a Bruce Wayne)

* * *

Revealing my identity hadn't been what I'd wanted, but the situation hadn't left much room or time for plan B's. But it worked in my favour. It made things easier, less complicated, and with martial law enforced upon the whole planet, uncomplicated sounded good right now.

Alone in the cave with Diana my thoughts returned unbidden to the brief moment we'd shared. I'd never met a woman like her before - not in the sense that she could lift trucks with one hand or fly to another continent without a plane where others couldn't, but in the sense that she was intelligent where most of my dates were not. She made me think, our conversations made me think..and I found myself awaiting the chance to speak to her again and again. I was becoming...attached, and that was not good.

I was Batman, I was the Night, I was Vengence, I didn't get 'attatched' to anyone or anything, it was dangerous, it distracted from The Mission. And yet...I still couldn't stop myself. All the people I'd ever grown fond of...Alfred...Robin...Batgirl...even the members of the Justice league...what was it about certain people that meant I couldn't just leave things alone and continue with The Mission?

And that kiss...it had been a distraction technique...I was well aware of that...but it had been a while since a woman's touch had left me so speechless...and for good reason. For a warrior born and trained on an island with no men she certainly knew how to kiss one. And I had to admit, watching her take down those soldiers with a lamp post torn from the ground was an attractive sight. Flash would call it 'hot', I called it attractive. It wasn't everyday I saw someone fight like Diana did.

I turned to glance at her surreptitiously and saw that she seemd to be confused, she was probably torn about Shareya's betrayal. As an Amazon, Diana believed that all women were 'sisters' and thought that they should look out for one another, but not all women sw things as she did. In some cases that was a positive...but in this case it most certainly was not.

"She made her choice, Princess, now we have to make ours," I told her, hoping she'd understand and focus. I couldn't lie and say that Hawkgirl's betrayal didn't sting a little, I had begun to trust her like I had the others. It hurt more that I hadn't seen this coming...not even a little. She'd damaged my pride...at least like John it hadn't been my heart. Sometimes women could be more deadly than men.

"I know that, but I can't understand how she could betray us like this," Diana sighed.

"She's helping her people, wouldn't you do the same if it was your Amazon sisters?"

"My Amazon sisters wouldn't invade Man's world like this," she insisted and I smiled to myself; our conversation usually left me smiling or fuming with anger. Alfred's arrival cut short the retort I was about to make and soon I heard the arrival of Clark and J'onn.

"Nice place...nice company..." Clark said to me and I tried not to roll my eyes. Of course he couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark despite the situation, ever the optimistic boy scout he was.

I took a small pleasure in knowing that my house and the cave had clearly made an impression on my 'guests'. In view of the situation one had to take a serious stance...it didn't mean I couldn't enjoy the fact that I had resources completely foreign to them. In short, I could 'show off', just a little. It was unethical and completely wrong for me to do so but when you didn't have powers like they did my resources were my powers and they were by far more impressive than anything else.

As the others arrived late we began talking of the Thanagarians and their real motives, what they were really planning on doing with their 'force field'.

"Then what is it?" John asked.

"I can tell you," a voice answered and I found myself shocked and unpleasantly surprised for the first time in years. How had she found my cave? Had she been tracking us? She must have...it's the only way she could've found it. "They're building a hyper-space bypass, when it's activated it'll destroy the planet and everything on it. Here, this has all the information on the project," she said to me.

"We'll check it out, there's the door," I said coldly, but it was nothing more than she deserved. It supported my idea that trusting others was dangerous and risky...but then I turned back to the others and again that idea was called into question.

Of course it turned out Shayera had been followed...or it had been a trick in the first place as soon my cave was attacked by Thanagarian soldiers hungry for blood. It didn't take long for us to dispose of them though and soon I was able to bring up the plans of their machine on my computers.

"I'll take care of the generator," I told them with confidence, I had a plan already in mind.

"That thing's the size of a city. What're you gonna do, throw a bat-a-rang at it?" Wally asked.

"Something like that," I answered.

Everything else that happened went more or less according to my plan, except Flash blowing a hole in my already damaged manor, I'd have to let that one go since it was unlikely I'd get to have any pay back. How could I have revenge when I was dead? I wasn't expecting to come out of this one alive.

I didn't usually give up like this. But what choice did I have? The plan of steering the Watchtower down to its target manually wasn't the most attractive one I'll admit, but what other weapon was big enough to take out their 'science project'?

I hated to admit it but of the Justice League I was the only one without powers, but because of that I saw it as though I was the only one who'd earned a place, they had their powers...I didn't, I had my mind, trained and honed throughout the years. It also meant that I was the only one who couldn't make a dent in the Thanagarian army...unless I piloted the Watchtower on top of them from orbit.

"So where's your secret weapon?" I heard Flash ask once the soldiers were neutralised.

"You're standing in it," I said.

"Wait...you mean we're gonna..."

"Take the Watchtower out of orbit, and drop it right on top of their little 'science project'," I nodded. "Get them to the escape pods," I told him. It was time for phase 2.

"Yeah, tower's completely pest free," I heard Flash say within minutes and it was now or never. They'd never agree to my plan and arguing with them would waste valuable time...so I tricked Flash and J'onn into the escape pod, all the while blocking the plan from my mind, until the second I pressed the launch button.

"I can't risk having the Watchtower burn up on re-entry, I'll have to guide it in manually...it's been an honour," I told them...and I wasn't lying. Despite all my protestations and all of our disagreements, I didn't regret joining them, I didn't regret helping them and The Mission. I watched as they disappeared from sight and then I ran back to the control room.

As the Watchtower began its descent I felt the temperature rising and the pressure building up was beginning to tear the structure apart. "Have you shut down the force field?" I asked Superman.

"Not yet. Where are you?"

"Aboard the Watchtower guiding it to target."

"That's insane, get outta there!" he shouted to me, it was nice to know that despite our differences someone would most likely morn my death.

"Negative," I said as I felt the heat continue to rise quickly. Diana...what would she do if I died...would she even morn? It wasn't like we had a commitment to each other, was it? We had the odd conversation, a dance, and now a kiss...although with my track record that was the most honest and...yes...even happiest relationship I'd ever had in my life. Which, if I thought about it, was a sad statment in and of itself.

The air was becoming polluted by the smell of burning metal and the air itself seemed to catch fire. I felt the sweat pour down my brow as I gritted my teeth against the pressure and the smoke. I saw my vision blur and I felt myself release the controls, I screamed in my head to hold on a little longer...but I couldn't...everything went black...

...The next thing I knew I was breathing cool, clean air and I was sitting in a pile of rocks and dirt. Superman was standing beside me overlooking the chaos.

"Always have to be the hero, don't you?" he asked me.

"Right back at you," I said looking across at the gargantuan sized crater left by the explosion. Running damage control on this one would not be a pleasant experience, I was sure of it.


End file.
